Biographical Note

Clayton Van Lydegraf (1915-1992) was a Pacific Northwest-based
political activist whose career as a writer, theorist, and organizer spanned
sixty years and a wide spectrum of radical organizations. Born in Salem,
Oregon, Van Lydegraf joined the Communist Party of the United States of America
(CPUSA) in 1933 and participated in the momentous San Francisco General Strike
of the following year. During the Second World War, he served as a pilot for
the U.S. Air Corps in India in 1944-1945, earning the rank of First Lieutenant
and receiving both the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

Upon returning to the Seattle area, Van Lydegraf secured a job as a
machinist at Boeing and membership in International Association of Machinists
(IAF) lodge 79. His continued affiliation with the CPUSA, however, led to his
expulsion from the IAF and the loss of his position at Boeing in 1947. He
further committed himself to the CPUSA, rising to the office of State Secretary
for the Northwest District. In 1956, Van Lydegraf was called before the House
Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), where he was accused of being a CPUSA
saboteur and trainer for the Communist Hukbalahap uprising in the postwar
Philippines. He eventually left the CPUSA in the late 1950s over ideological
differences, and became a founding member of the Progressive Labor (PL) Party,
a revisionist Marxist-Leninist group, in 1961. Van Lydegraf played a prominent
role in the Washington State PL until 1967, when he was expelled from the group
over arguments in the organization’s political direction.

Van Lydegraf soon began developing contacts and relationships among
the various activist groups affiliated with the “New Left”
movement then burgeoning in Seattle and Western Washington. To groups like
Draft Resistance–Seattle, Peace and Freedom Party, and Students for a
Democratic Society, Van Lydegraf served as an ideological link to the
“Old Left” of the CPUSA and the PL, a resource of ideological
militancy and practical experience gained from decades of activism, available
at a time when most of Van Lydegraf’s contemporaries had retired from
active agitation. He also became a prodigious and well-respected writer of
political works, covering such subjects as Marxism-Leninism, Maoism, black
militancy, and revolutionary tactics. He also maintained a correspondence
throughout this time with notable Communist thinkers around the world, such as
Anna Louise Strong and Rewi Alley. His most notable writings -
U.S. Imperialism and the Fascist Danger (1967),
The Object is to Win (1967), and
The Movement and the Workers (1969) – all
date from this period.

By the mid-1970s, Van Lydegraf’s increasingly strident
avocation of direct and violent revolutionary action against the American
political establishment placed him on the fringes of the radical left, where he
affiliated himself with the Weather Underground Organization (WUO). In 1974, he
co-founded and led the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC), an
above-ground support arm of the WUO which specialized in publishing,
communications, and providing supplies to WUO members in hiding. In 1977, Van
Lydegraf, along with four other radicals connected to the PFOC, was arrested
for the planned bombing of the offices of conservative California State Senator
John Briggs. The “L.A. five,” as they were known in press
coverage, received a prominent trial, in which Lydegraf pleaded no contest to
charges of conspiracy and possession of explosives. He would spend a total of
two years in prison.

Following his release in 1980, Van Lydegraf ceased active
participation in revolutionary activities, though he remained involved in
activism for various causes, such as Native American rights. He died of cancer
in 1992 in Oakland, CA.

Each accession is arranged into series according to their creator,
format, or function. Subseries are subdivided similarly. Within each subseries,
files are arranged chronologically, with the exception of ephemera files and
publications, which are both arranged alphabetically. There is significant
overlap in subject between accessions. 1341-004, Series III, “Manuscript
Materials,” concerns items very similar to those found in 1341-005,
“Manuscripts by Van Lydegraf.” Due to the lack of organization
and mis-identification of some of the original records, furthermore, there is
also some overlap between series. For example, ‘Personal
Materials’ may contain items that might pertain better to
‘Manuscript Materials,’ had the collection been in a more
intelligible original order.

Scope and Content

This collection documents the public life of Clayton Van Lydegraf from
1940 to 1987, with the bulk depicting the years 1964-1983. One of the largest
accessions, 1341-001 is composed of personal files once held by Van Lydegraf,
and includes materials that reflect Van Lydegraf’s political activities
within a span of organizational affiliations over several decades, both in
terms of his personal initiatives and his interests in the wider community of
political activism. 1341-002 contains correspondence from prominent journalist
and activist Anna Louise Strong, who was then living in exile in China.
1341-003 contains Van Lydegraf’s correspondence with New Zealand-born
writer and activist Rewi Alley, including poems by Alley from which Van
Lydegraf selected for publication. 1341-004 is composed of personal files once
held by Van Lydegraf, with a similar organization and composition to 1341-001.
The greatest portion of the accession is made up of legal materials dealing
with several criminal trials, including FBI surveillance reports focused on Van
Lydegraf and his political associates. 1341-005 concerns manuscripts for a
number of Van Lydegraf’s writing projects, including essays, poetry, and
testimony transcripts. 1341-006 is a very small accession comprised of some
late writings, poetry, correspondence, academic transcripts, and a newspaper
clipping. 1341-007 is a series of letters Van Lydegraf wrote to his then-wife
from Second World War-era India, where he was stationed as a Lieutenant in the
U.S. Air Corps. Some of his commentary is about the Indian independence
movement. 1341-008 and 1341-009 are recordings of two 1991 interviews of Van
Lydegraf by activist George Lippman, the latter of which includes a transcript.
For further clarification, consult the scope and content information for each
of the accessions list below.

Restrictions on Access

Access to archival recordings: Due to the fragility of archival tape recordings, potential users may be required to arrange for transfer to digital format before the material can be accessed. Please
contact Special Collections for further information.

Restrictions on Use

Consult the restrictions governing reproduction and use for each of
the accessions listed below.

Related Material

The personal papers of John Caughlan, a Seattle-area attorney and
civil rights leader, contain two folders concerning Caughlan’s
professional dealings with Van Lydegraf.

Inventory

Accession No. 1341-001

Van Lydegraf, Clayton

Clayton Van Lydegraf personal records and
ephemera, 1940-1970

18 linear feet

Arrangement

This accession is divided into five series:

The first series is arranged by creating political organization,
and subseries by subject. The second series is arranged alphabetically by
subject or creating body, with minor subjects subsumed into larger folders by
letter, such as ‘Ephemera- C.’ The third series is organized by
material type, and the fourth by material type or subject. The fifth series is
organized alphabetically by title of publication.

Scope and Content

Ephemera, meeting minutes, agendas, reports, memoranda and
correspondence from Van Lydegraf’s personal files. A large portion is
composed of brochures, handouts, reports, agendas and meeting minutes relating
to local organizations, events, and initiatives among Seattle’s activist
community, particularly during the late 1960s. The various publications
collected by Van Lydegraf are also present in large numbers, most of which
concern aspects of radical political thought, such as communism, black
nationalism, and labor activism. A portion of the files originate from Van
Lydegraf’s ex-wife, Paula Van Lydegraf.

Students for a Democratic Society (U.S.). 1970.
New left notes. Boston, Mass: Students for a
Democratic Society

1967-1969

15/12

National Conference for New Politics, and New Politics
Convention for 1968 and Beyond. 1967. New politics
news. Convention issue. Chicago, Ill: Convention Steering Committee of
the New Politics Convention for 1968 and Beyond

1968

15/14

Friends of the Soviet Union (Group). 1932.
New world review. New York: N.W.R. Publications,
etc.

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of
Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info

Donated by Clayton Van Lydegraf, ½7/1983.

Box/Folder

Date

1/1

Correspondence with Rewi Alley

1967-1970

½

Manuscript- "This Way Madness Lies"

circa 1983

1/3-5

Poems by Rewi Alley

circa 1967-1970

Accession No. 1341-004

Van Lydegraf, Clayton

Legal and personal records, 1941-1980

21 linear feet

Arrangement

This accession is divided chronologically into seven series:

The first series, FBI Materials, is organized by material type,
and then chronologically. The second series, Political Materials, is divided
into subseries by creating body, which are themselves organized chronologically
by material type. The third series, Manuscript Materials, is divided into
subseries according to creation by Van Lydegraf or another writer, and then
arranged by manuscript project. The fourth series, Publications, is organized
alphabetically according to title of publication. The fifth series, Personal
Materials, is organized by material type. The sixth series, Court Case
Materials, is divided chronologically into subseries by court case, and then
arranged by material type. The seventh series, Small Press Materials, is
organized by material type.

Scope and Content

An accession of materials deriving from Van Lydegraf’s
legal and personal records. A large portion is composed of brochures,
correspondence, reports, agendas, meeting minutes and published materials
relating to Van Lydegraf’s political life, including his written
opinions and his association with the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee. A
large proportion of the files are composed of affidavits, transcripts,
memoranda, and other records originating from Van Lydegraf’s legal
troubles, especially his arrest and trial in 1977 for the attempted bombing of
a California State Senator’s office. Also present are almost 40 years of
FBI investigation files on Van Lydegraf and various associates, including
Timothy Leary. The various publications collected by Van Lydegraf are also
present in large numbers, most of which concern aspects of radical political
thought, such as communism, black nationalism, and labor activism.

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of
Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info

Donated by Mr. Van Lydegraf, 4/8/1988, 4/29/1987

Accession No. 1341-007

Van Lydegraf, Clayton

Correspondence with Mary Ann Nichols, 1944-1945,
1986-1987

2.5 linear feet

Arrangement

This accession is organized chronologically.

Scope and Content

Outgoing letters, all to Mary Ann Nichols.

Leftist political leader who wrote home to his wife during 1944,
1945 when he was 5th Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Corps stationed in India. Some
of his commentary is about the Indian independence movement.

Restrictions on Access

Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use

Some restrictions exist on copying, quotation or publication.
Contact Repository for details.

Acquisition Info

Donated by Mary Ann Nichols, 3/9/1987.

Box/Folder

Date

1/1

Letters (September)

1944

½

Letters (October)

1944

1/3

Letters (November)

1944

1/4

Letters (December)

1944

1/5

Letters (January)

1945

1/6

Letters (February)

1945

1/7

Letters (March)

1945

1/8

Letters (April)

1945

1/9

Letters (May)

1945

1/10

Letters (Later Period)

1986-1987

Accession No. 1341-008

Van Lydegraf, Clayton

Tape-recorded interview conducted by George
Lippman, 11/3/91

1 sound cassette

Scope and Content

Tape-recorded interview conducted by George Lippman, 11/3/91.

This is the first in a series of two interviews. The second one
(Accession #1341-9) has been transcribed but this first one has not. This
interview contains many digressions but provides biographical information.

Restrictions on Access

Open to all users. Access to archival recordings: Due to the fragility of archival tape recordings, potential users may be required to arrange for transfer to digital format before the material can be accessed. Please
contact Special Collections for further information.

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of
Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info

Donated by George Lippman, 8/17/1992

Accession No. 1341-009

Van Lydegraf, Clayton

Tape-recorded interview conducted by George Lippman, with
transcript, 12/8/91

1 sound cassette plus 1
transcript (36 pages)

Scope and Content

Tape-recorded interview conducted by George Lippman, with
transcript, 12/8/91.

In this interview with George Lippman on the day after the
fiftieth anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Van Lydegraf interprets the political
events of wartime and of postwar U.S.

Restrictions on Access

Open to all users. Access to archival recordings: Due to the fragility of archival tape recordings, potential users may be required to arrange for transfer to digital format before the material can be accessed. Please
contact Special Collections for further information.

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of
Washington Libraries.